1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to improved apparatus or equipment for garment finishing or conditioning operations which involves the use of a permeable fabric bag on which a garment to be conditioned is positioned and through which hot air and dry steam are to be applied to the garment. An important phase of the invention deals with the provision and employment of a tubular assembly or unit for utilizing a continuous flow of steam to provide a constant heat within the permeable bag, and for directly applying steam bursts within the bag during a garment finishing or conditioning operation.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Garments in the nature of shirts, blouses, etc., initially after manufacture, and later in a used condition, after laundering or dry cleaning, require finishing or conditioning and, in this connection, an expansible permeable bag-like fabric form, such as of nylon, has been employed to carry the garment while it is being subjected internally to heated air and substantially directly to hot, high pressure applied steam. This practice has required the use of relatively so-called dry steam to avoid excessive moisture as applied to the garment. Also, it has been customary, for example, as illustrated in Paris U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,900, to effect the application of steam from a relatively remote location, namely, from a steamer located at the juncture of a lower support base part and the upper bag form carrying part. At the same time, hot air supplied by the base part is moved upwardly into the bag along with the steam. Paris U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,417,838 and 2,915,229 are also representative of such a type of operation.
Although the above-mentioned practice makes use of a somewhat remote, direct introduction of steam within the chamber of the permeable bag and thus, to the garment positioned thereon, it has been determined that it is necessary to use a relatively dry, high pressure steam to avoid excessive moisture as applied to the garment. Considerable moisture collects within the base part that has to be removed. Also, such moisture is subject to pick-up from the hot air that is issuing upwardly from the base part. It is important to avoid spotting of the garment, such as will occur from moisture applied under steam pressure to the garment and thus, it is important to supply the steam with maximum dryness.
There has thus been a need for an apparatus which will, in itself, avoid the need for use of a remote steam introducing unit and which will enable the direct introduction of steam within the permeable bag form with a maximized reduction of moisture or condensate. In this connection, it has been found to be desirable to supply the steam for best efficiency and uniformity of garment conditioning along substantially the full length of the bag on which the garment is positioned.
There has thus been a need for an apparatus for more efficiently introducing steam and heated air and applying them as well as heat of the steam to a garment being conditioned or finished. This should be accomplished in such a manner as to substantially eliminate condensation within the conditioning chamber and importantly, to effectively eliminate steam spotting of the garment being finished.
Summarized briefly, there has been a need for an improvement in the manner of and in the apparatus for supplying heated air, steam heat and steam bursts to the inside of the bag form on which the garment is being finished.